Layton 7 takes the series in a new direction

Level-5 has announced the next Professor Layton game, and it's virtually unrecognizable from the rest of the series.

The developer revealed Layton 7 at its Level-5 Vision press conference in Shinagawa, Tokyo. The role-playing puzzle game is coming for Nintendo 3DS, iOS, and Android.

Players assume various roles — like that of a taxi driver, young boy, a philanthropist, and even a zombie (but not, as you might have hoped, Professor Layton) — and discover what these relationships mean as they compete for points in a small town.

The game "follows in the footsteps of the Professor Layton series, which has now shipped over 15 million units worldwide."

Level-5 has yet to announce release information.

This isn't the first Layton game to come out that's missing the titular professor. This year's Layton Brothers: Mystery Room for iOS stars his genius son instead.